Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026
A Neonatal Imaging Model of Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis
Published on: August 12, 2020
Presepsin for the detection of early-onset sepsis in preterm newborns
Paolo Montaldo1,2, Roberto Rosso1, Alfredo Santantonio1
1Department of Neonatal Intensive Care, Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy.
Background:
Early-onset sepsis (EOS) is responsible for an important fraction of neonatal morbidity and mortality all over the world. The aim of this study was to assess whether presepsin (P-SEP) can be a more accurate biomarker of EOS compared with pro-calcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP).
Study Design:
Consecutive preterm neonates (<34 wk gestational age, admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit by 6 h of age and undergoing sepsis evaluation) were recruited as part of a case-matched control study. We determined CRP, PCT and P-SEP at admission, and then at 12, 24, and 48 h of age. Neonates recruited into the study were divided into the EOS group (n = 32) and the uninfected group (n =38) according to their infection screening.
Results:
P-SEP values were significantly higher in the EOS group than in the uninfected group at different time intervals. The highest accuracy was achieved by P-SEP at 24 h after birth. The AUC for P-SEP was 0.97. In our sample, P-SEP achieved the best accuracy for prediction of EOS at the cut-off of 788 ng/l with 93% sensitivity and 100% specificity.
Conclusions:
This study shows that P-SEP is significantly higher in preterm infants with EOS compared with uninfected infants.
